Monday, 14 January 2013

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis - Tiny Desk Concert

When I think of rap and hiphop, some of it's great and some of it's not, but there's certain associations that are off the agenda for it. Homosexuality, for example. But I have just discovered an artist that made my eyes goggle - he's just smashed it all up and it's in a word, amazing. As in, I was amazed, as well as the teenage word for very good. Sterotypical chart-topping rappers are black and make a living covering subjects such as the objectification of women, the purchase of heavy gold jewellery and cars as status symbols, and how firearms can be used to assume dominance over other fellow humans. This new star, Macklemore, is a white rapper (a very very good one), whose subject matter includes how gay marriage should really not be an issue and how much fun it is buying clothes at charity shops. Subjects such as these are not completely ground-breaking for music thanks to the popularity in the last few years of musical comedy - comedians managing to play some power chords on a guitar or piano, whilst spilling out a monologue, usually rhyming, in a simple tune, about topical issues. Personally, I dislike most of them, probably because I have a personality trait which makes me dislike what is popular. No, the thing that is incredible about Macklemore and Ryan Lewis's music is not the subject content alone, it's the fact that it is so incredibly GOOD whilst being all that. It's very good hip hop, Macklemore's rapping is excellent - and it's live. If you're put off by the prospect of a 15 minute video, just do the first (gay rights) or second song (charity shopping). Look up the lyrics, too, he talks pretty fast and they are cracking...